Agbulos warns of health risks amid El Niño
City Health Officer Rodel Agbulos has cautioned people against the potential health risks brought by the onset of the dry spell, El Niño, as he reported increase in cases related to dehydration and viral and bacterial infections.
Dr. Agbulos said cases of diarrhea and skin diseases including upper respiratory tract infection have soared the past weeks due to the sweltering heat caused by the El Niño phenomenon hitting the entire country.
Through Agbulos’ initiative, the CHO came up with advisories warning people of the possible health hazards posed by the dry spell.
One advisory, published in local papers and distributed to the public cites the potential health risks as follows: diarrhea, cholera and skin diseases (due to water scarcity or shortage); paralytic shellfish poisoning (due to red tide blooms); heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke (due to high temperatures) and sunburn, sore eyes, flu, chickenpox, measles and hypertension.
The advisory also provides for precautions to be done during the El Nino and these include—conserve water and protect it from contamination, drink more fluids, avoid strenuous physical activities, wear light clothing and listen to health updates.
“Most if not all of the health cases registered are related to dehydration and because of the intense heat, our body resistance becomes lower,” Dr. Agbulos said.
Aside from the health advisories, the CHO has also strengthened information dissemination in health centers to sustain public health amid the dry spell.
“We advise people to drink a lot of water and keep ourselves hydrated, do not stay under direct sunlight because heat will reduce body resistance,” Dr. Agbulos said. (PIO)